


You Could've, I did

by ElsieMcClay



Series: Voltron Fics [27]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, I guess you could see this as klance??, Lance (Voltron) Whump, idk you do what you wanna do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 04:03:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12645711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElsieMcClay/pseuds/ElsieMcClay
Summary: Lance gets hurt, but he thinks it's best not to say anything.





	You Could've, I did

**Author's Note:**

> for ya-nurse's art: 
> 
> https://potato-fan-girl.tumblr.com/post/167175122043/ya-nurse-im-so-glad-youre-okay-you-couldve

Lance can’t make the excuse of his adrenaline rushing so fast that he didn’t feel it. No, not this time, at least. No, Lance definitely felt this. He felt the bullet pierce his skin and armor and the way it knocked the breath out of him and made him nearly topple over. He felt the blood start down the small of his back. He felt it and the pain, oh the unbearable pain, that came with it. 

Yet, Lance turned around a shot the Galra sentry then got back to the mission at hand--protecting his friends. His team. The people that Lance wouldn’t find himself able to bear getting hurt under his watch. So he watches them as they fight, helping when they need it, taking great care to make sure none of them would ever feel the pain he’s feeling with every movement. Finally, Pidge and Hunk cheer and high-five, and Lance finds himself smiling as he watches them. Then, he winces as he tries to pull himself out of his prone position, his ribs groaning with the release of pressure, and searing pain shooting up his back. 

“Good job, team,” Shiro cheers, his voice echoing in the comms. He and Keith stayed in the castle, giving Allura a mission with Blue, Lance with Red, and the other two with their lions. Lance hears the other two agree with him, but he can’t focus enough to bring up enough strength to answer without letting his voice show how much pain he’s in. He figures he can deal with it until he’s back and able to get into a pod. There’s no need to make everyone worry, so he keeps it all to himself. If anyone asks before then why he’s so quiet, he’ll just lie and tell them that his mics aren’t working. He’s sure he can get by without inquiry, though. 

The entire ride back to the castle, Lance finds himself deteriorating. Still, even though it’s so stiflingly hot one moment then so very cold the next and there’s blood dripping through his flight suit, Lance fails to speak up. He doesn’t know if he’d be able to find the words to explain all of this at this point. 

Finally, Red lands, her joints creaking with the drastic change of temperature from the impossibly cold vacuum of space to the considerably less cold (but not quite warm) interior of the Castle of Lions’ hangar. Lance peels himself off the chair, almost screaming in pain as the small amount of clotting that had already occurred was pulled away from his wound, but he refrains. Finally, Lance finds the strength to limp out of Red’s mouth and into the hall where everyone is rejoicing.

Lance finds himself smiling a little as he watches Allura, Pidge, and Hunk recount the mission. Keith spots Lance over the small crowd. 

“Lance,” he yells, grinning happily. “I’m so glad you’re okay! From what the others are saying, you really could’ve gotten hurt out there!” Internally, Lance is making sure Keith’s hands stay above the gaping hole in his back. He doesn’t want to give it all away now, not when they’re all so happy and he can just pop in a pod and hop back out in a few vargas, maybe less. They might not even realize he’s in there if he can just get Coran to swear he won’t tell anyone. 

When Keith pulls away, he swipes at his eyes (not very discretely if Lance does say). He smiles again, and Lance suddenly feels very faint. He thinks it’ll go away when Keith turns around, but it doesn’t, and he finds himself falling backward. Lance doesn’t hear the thump that he makes, but Keith certainly does. 

“Lance!” Keith calls again, but it’s with more of a desperate edge this time. His heart drops to his stomach when he turns back around to see Lance on the ground with his eyes rolled back in his head and a growing puddle of blood below him. Pidge stops in the middle of her sentence, and the rest of the team looks over to see Keith on his knees beside Lance. There’s a collective gasp, followed by Allura running to get Coran and the other three setting about their own causes like getting a suit for the cryopod or helping Keith get Lance’s armor pieces off. 

“Why didn’t he say anything?” Pidge questions as she slips off Lance’s chest piece. 

“It’s Lance. The question is more ‘why did he say something’ when he does because that means it’s really, really bad--even by his standards,” Hunk replies, acting calmer that he is if the shaking of his hand is anything to go by. 

“It’ll be okay. He’ll be fine.” Keith can’t bring himself to really believe his statement--not with the amount of blood covering his hands.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: elsiemcclay


End file.
